UK military equipment used by militia accused of genocide found in Sudan, UN told
British-made arms have been discovered on battlefields in Sudan, used by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group accused of committing atrocities. The UK-manufactured small-arms target systems and British-made engines for armoured personnel carriers were recovered from combat sites in a conflict that has killed at least 150,000 people, forced over 12 million to flee their homes, and left nearly 25 million facing acute hunger.
The discovery has raised concerns about the UK's role in fuelling the conflict. Documents seen by the UN security council show that British equipment was supplied to the UAE, which is accused of supplying arms to the RSF. The UK government had approved further exports to the Gulf state for military equipment of the same type, despite evidence that the vehicles had been used in Libya and Yemen in defiance of UN arms embargos.
The findings are a major blow to the UK's reputation as a responsible arms exporter. In 2013, the UK authorised exports of night-vision sights to a UAE business, which were subsequently procured by Taliban fighters in Afghanistan. The UK government has also granted licences for the export of military training devices to the UAE, including those made by Militec.
A Cummins spokesperson said that the company had a strong compliance culture and followed its code of business conduct, which explicitly covers compliance with applicable sanctions and export controls. However, the company's role in supplying engines for armoured personnel carriers manufactured by the Edge Group has raised questions about its due diligence.
The UK government has refused to disclose which licences were granted to which companies, but a spokesperson said that all export licences are assessed for the risk of diversion to an undesirable end user or end use. The FCDO also stated that it expects all countries to comply with their obligations under existing UN sanctions regimes.
Critics have called for an investigation into the issue and for the UK government to take responsibility for its role in fuelling the conflict in Sudan. Mike Lewis, a researcher and former member of the UN panel of experts on Sudan, said that the UK government had a clear obligation not to authorise arms exports where there was a risk of diversion or use in international crimes.
The discovery of British-made arms in Sudan has further highlighted the need for greater transparency and accountability in the global arms trade. As the world's biggest humanitarian crisis continues to unfold, it is essential that governments take responsibility for their actions and work to prevent the supply of arms that fuel conflict and violence.
British-made arms have been discovered on battlefields in Sudan, used by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group accused of committing atrocities. The UK-manufactured small-arms target systems and British-made engines for armoured personnel carriers were recovered from combat sites in a conflict that has killed at least 150,000 people, forced over 12 million to flee their homes, and left nearly 25 million facing acute hunger.
The discovery has raised concerns about the UK's role in fuelling the conflict. Documents seen by the UN security council show that British equipment was supplied to the UAE, which is accused of supplying arms to the RSF. The UK government had approved further exports to the Gulf state for military equipment of the same type, despite evidence that the vehicles had been used in Libya and Yemen in defiance of UN arms embargos.
The findings are a major blow to the UK's reputation as a responsible arms exporter. In 2013, the UK authorised exports of night-vision sights to a UAE business, which were subsequently procured by Taliban fighters in Afghanistan. The UK government has also granted licences for the export of military training devices to the UAE, including those made by Militec.
A Cummins spokesperson said that the company had a strong compliance culture and followed its code of business conduct, which explicitly covers compliance with applicable sanctions and export controls. However, the company's role in supplying engines for armoured personnel carriers manufactured by the Edge Group has raised questions about its due diligence.
The UK government has refused to disclose which licences were granted to which companies, but a spokesperson said that all export licences are assessed for the risk of diversion to an undesirable end user or end use. The FCDO also stated that it expects all countries to comply with their obligations under existing UN sanctions regimes.
Critics have called for an investigation into the issue and for the UK government to take responsibility for its role in fuelling the conflict in Sudan. Mike Lewis, a researcher and former member of the UN panel of experts on Sudan, said that the UK government had a clear obligation not to authorise arms exports where there was a risk of diversion or use in international crimes.
The discovery of British-made arms in Sudan has further highlighted the need for greater transparency and accountability in the global arms trade. As the world's biggest humanitarian crisis continues to unfold, it is essential that governments take responsibility for their actions and work to prevent the supply of arms that fuel conflict and violence.
the UK just sold guns to a country that's been accused of genocide in Sudan 
I mean what kind of company does that? And they're saying they had some kinda compliance culture thingy 
but it doesn't seem like it when those guns are showing up on battlefields and killing people left and right 
the UK supplying arms to a group accused of genocide is just sickening! It's like they're not taking responsibility for their own actions at all 
how can you justify exporting military equipment to a country that's already got its hands in Libya and Yemen? It's like they're playing with fire 
and expecting everyone else to stay out of the way. The fact that the UK had approved further exports to the UAE despite evidence of UN arms embargos is just mind-boggling 
the global arms trade needs to be taken way more seriously and governments need to start holding each other accountable 
this is crazy what are we even doing? UK just dumping its old military equipment in Sudan like it's nothing 
and then has the nerve to act all innocent when people start talking about it 
meanwhile they're still selling guns to Saudi Arabia and pretending like everything is cool 
shouldn't be that hard for them to keep track of who's buying their stuff 
my bad I'm late to this conversation lol
also can we talk about how the uk government is basically covering their tracks 
refusing to disclose which licences were granted to which companies... this transparency is crucial for change to happen 
shouldn't there be more regulation on this stuff? I feel like we're just giving arms to whoever wants them and then expecting everyone else to deal with the fallout... 
. like how does one even track down where all these arms are going? 
do governments have some sort of secret list of bad guys or something? 
I get it's not that simple but still it's weird that they just kept exporting without checking what those arms would end up being used for. 
This is a total slap in the face to humanity. The UK's complicity in arming the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan is unconscionable. They're essentially saying, 'Hey, we know our equipment might be used for genocide, but who cares?' It's sickening. The lack of transparency and accountability from the UK government is appalling.
and more fleeing or starving 
gotta call for some serious accountability here 
I mean, 150,000 people dead is crazy, its like the whole world is forgetting about Sudan. And now its like the UK is trying to play clean with their arms exports, but everyone knows that wont fly 
like who gives a gun 2 a group that's supposed 2 be fightin 4 peace?? UK's reputation as responsible arms exporter is literally SHAKEN 
. They claim they had a "compliance culture" but its clear dey didnt do ther job right 
. It's like they think they're above the law or something. We need way more transparency and accountability in this arms trade, stat! 
.
The recent revelation about British-made arms being used by the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan is a damning indictment of the UK's role in perpetuating conflict. It seems the country's lax export controls and lack of transparency have allowed these atrocities to continue unabated. The fact that the UAE was able to procure this equipment despite UN sanctions is a clear breach of international law